hello again! I'm back with another two-shot here that was requested! It was supposed to be based off of Amnesia by 5 Seconds of Summer and it is, but that will be more next chapter rather than this one. This chapter is more based off of Heartbreak Girl, also by 5 Seconds of Summer. Quite the theme I'm running with. If you don't know those songs just give them a listen, but they obviously aren't needed to follow along. Please enjoy and of course, comment with anything you have to say!
also I'm sorry but i just want to make the small comment that I deleted (or requested to anyways), Chloe King: The Aftermath. while I appreciate all the reviews (101 holy cow dudes that's more than i ever planned on getting!) so much, it was a terribly written story with no plot. so thank you if you read or reviewed that because if I hadn't gotten any reviews for that story, I wouldn't have continued to write other ones. thank you again!
Alek woke with a start, taking a deep breath when he realized he'd fallen asleep on his bed. He looked around, a bit confused as to what woke him up until he heard his phone vibrating on his bed side table. He reached over and with a yawn (and small grin), he swiped the screen.
"Hello," he mumbled, voice cracked from his previous sleeping state.
"A-Alek?" Chloe said quietly. Alek expected her to be on the other line of course, he saw her picture light up before he answered. But he didn't expect her to sound so - so miserable. And there was only one reason she would sound like that.
"Chloe? Are you alright?" Alek sat up on his bed and wondered if he would be able to make it to her house, or wherever she was. But that would take to long.
"It - it happened again. He came to my job and he was with her and I had to leave." She took a shaky breath. Alek felt his jaw shift. "Lana is gonna fire me if this keeps happening. He knows exactly what he's doing, Alek."
"Brian isn't worth the pain you're feeling, Chloe. You know that." He wasn't sure that was the best thing to say, but it was the truth. Maybe the truth isn't what she wanted, though.
"I do know that, but what I don't get is why after he breaks up with me, he thinks it's okay to flaunt his new girl around." At least she didn't sound so sad anymore, just frustrated.
"Because he's a jerk." Alek pointed out and he could practically see Chloe rolling her eyes. "In all honesty, he's probably doing it just to make you get all worked up."
"Or maybe he just never cared at all." She said after a minute and Alek couldn't bring himself to say anything. Brian, her ex, was always doing nothing but hurt her. Not physically - if that had been the case, Alek would be in jail. But he always seemed to know exactly how to get under her skin, get her annoyed or jealous - whatever it was, he would do it. Alek loved teasing her, but his comments were never serious and they never caused her heart to hurt. He heard her shaky breaths and knew she was about to start crying. Brian made her cry. Too much. Way too much.
"Chloe," Alek said softly. "There's now way he couldn't care. If he really is doing this to hurt you purposely, then he has another thing coming. No one could want to hurt you, not really." He wished it were true. He wished he could say Brian didn't really want to hurt her. But why else would he do what he was?
Chloe didn't respond and Alek waited for her to calm down a bit. Her sniffles and small coughs to hide sobs made him want hurt Brian just like he was hurting her. But maybe with a few punches instead.
When she managed to stop crying, she let out a small laugh. "I guess we always end up here, don't we? Me calling you and talking about Brian, crying some." She paused. "I'm sorry."
"You always apologize," He stated with a small smile. "Stop it."
Chloe laughed again. "You always know how to make me feel better, Alek." Alek hated how that comment made him slightly hopeful. "Thanks for being a friend."
And then the hope drops away. He pursed his lips. "It's what I'm here for, right?"
The call ends and Alek lays down on his bed again, a grown falling from his lips. It was circles with Chloe, but he could never bring himself to stop. He loved her too much. Even if the feeling wasn't necessarily mutual.
Alek and Chloe had been friends since 8th grade, due to him coming to America to live with Jasmine and Valentina - his family that he never knew he had. He was adopted and when he tried to find out who is real parents were, Valentina was the only living relative to come about. His adoptive parents understood (luckily) and let him go to San Francisco where he met Chloe. She, Jasmine, Amy, and Paul had been friends for years. Alek fit in well at school and had friends, but those four were his closest. Even in his 11th grade year, they were all still good friends.
With Chloe, though, there had always been something different. He could easily hang out with Amy and just be relaxed and fine, but with Chloe, he always felt something just different. He'd only realized last year that he had feelings for her and since they'd been long running for 3 years, stronger than ever and killing him in more ways than one, and it fell so easily when he incorporated the word "love" with his feelings for the blonde. But Alek was young still and he had only just turned 17, so there was no way he would fully admit his feelings to himself or anyone else.
When Chloe started dating Brian Rezza, a 19-year-old guy who was back in town to help his father out with a few things, Alek wasn't sure what to do. Him and Chloe had never been more than friends and he swore she just didn't see him that way. He was willing to be her friend forever, with or without more happening. He just wanted her to be happy. . .and she was never going to be with Brian. They'd broken up mutually, but Alek could bet that Brian enjoyed what he was doing to Chloe. And that made Alek hate him. A lot.
Chloe came over later that day to hang out since Friday nights were boring and she was still a bit down from seeing Brian and his new - thing. Alek let her lay down on his bed while he sat on the floor, back to her. Her hand would brush through his hair intentionally every now and then, the action sending chills all over Alek's body. A movie was playing on his television but he was exhausted, barely paying any attention.
"You know," Chloe whispered, but Alek still jumped from his dazed state. "It is your bed. You're welcome to lay down." Alek tossed a grin at her and stood up carefully, and crawled over her bent legs to the other side of the bed. His hand brushed her hip and he fought a sigh as she shifted over to him. Not what he wanted.
Sure, laying next to Chloe was a good thing - a great thing. But not when it wasn't the way he wanted to be laying next to her. He wanted to scream out how much he loved her but he wouldn't of course. He wouldn't mention how he would be a lot better for her than Brian, either.
"What time is it anyways?" He asked as she rolled onto her back, looking at him in a glance before picking up her phone from his night stand.
"It's about 11," she said and sat up as she did. "I should get going." Before she could stand all the way up, she reached over and gave Alek a small hug, one that made him slightly giddy.
"Alright, I'll see you later?" He mumbled through a yawn. She laughed at him.
"I'll call you tomorrow," she said before throwing him a wave and leaving. He sighed once more before sleep over took him.
A few days later, Alek got the call that killed him.
"Brian wants to get back together with me!" Chloe said, her voice rising and she sounded so genuinely happy that Alek wished nothing more than for her to just continue being that way.
"That's great, Chloe." He hoped his voice didn't strain because he was trying his best to stay calm.
"Isn't it?" Chloe laughed. "I was working and he stopped by and at first it was really awkward and sort of forced, but then. . ." she trailed off, informing Alek all about how Brian was terribly sorry for breaking it off, how he actually still loved her, blah blah blah. Alek made up some excuse short after she finished and fought to go punch in pretty boy's face until he'd need surgery to look the same.
Alek took a few breaths before deciding calming down was not going to be a quick thing. So he made sure he had a pair of good shoes on and slammed the door shut behind him. When he made it outside, he took off running.
He made sure not to bring his phone and some time later, he regretted that decision when he realized he had no clue what time it was. On one hand, it was still daylight, so it couldn't have been too long later. He needed to head back home either way. His shirt was sticking to his chest, the sweat creating a glue that he was pretty disgusted with. He pulled the shirt away a few times, trying to even out his breathing. He was somewhere in Golden Gate Park and once he made it anywhere outside of the park itself, he'd be fine to get home.
By the time he did make it home, he was greeted with an obviously angered Jasmine.
"Where have you been?" The thing about an angry Jasmin is you don't even know she's angry - unless you've known her for a long period of time like Alek has. So he can tell by her body language, what her eyes reveal. Her voice was monotone, another sign she was upset.
"Running." He said shortly because no matter how angry she was, he was still a little angered himself. He still wouldn't turn down a chance to take down Brian Rezza, given he had one.
"For three hours?" She asked and he rolled his eyes as he walked to his bedroom, her following close behind. "What's up Alek?"
"Talk to Chloe, I'm sure you'll figure it out." He gathered new clothes and his towel before giving Jasmine a look, telling her to move out of the way.
"Is it Brian?" She pegged further. "Did he do something again?"
Alek sighed, running a hand over his face. "Just asked her out. Again. They're back together, happily ever after, right? For everyone except me apparently." He grumbled the last part and Jasmine shook her head in disbelief.
"They're back together again, seriously?" She crossed her arms.
"That's the dumb thing about love, isn't it? It seems like nothing the person does is inexcusable, there's always some sort of make up, some exception." He shrugged. The silence overtook the room and he was afraid Jasmine was going to call him out of using the "L" word because, no, what he said wasn't really just about Chloe and Brian. Before she could say anything else, he spoke again. "I'd like to remove the sweat from my body, if you don't mind?"
Jasmine gave him a nod, one with a small - maybe even sad - smile.
He made sure the shower was hot enough to turn his skin pink.
Alek didn't mean to ignore Chloe after that. Really, it just sort of happened. Besides, Alek wasn't even sure if she noticed since she was pretty preoccupied. He was getting his binder for his next class when someone tapped his shoulder, he turned around expectantly. He raised a brow when he saw it was Amy.
"I need to have a talk with you, Mister." She poked his shoulder and he couldn't help but crack a grin. Amy was something else entirely.
"Sorry, Amy, but my education has pretty much covered all you can inform me on that subject." He tried to joke, but she just cocked her head, giving him a look. He licked his lips. "What is it?"
"It's about Chloe." Amy said quietly and immediately, Alek feared the worst because he was just that type of person.
"Is she alright?" He looked Amy dead in the eyes who only rolled hers.
"Pu-leaze, you worry too much." She waved her hand. "I'm just - her and Brian. They're getting on my nerves. She won't even forget about him for more than a minute and it's like the guy's perfect to her." She thought for a second. "It's kind of sickening."
"Tell me about it," Alek mumbled too low for Amy to hear. "Why are you telling me this? Why not talk to Chloe herself?"
"Because," Amy smiled that mischievous grin of hers, ice blue eyes shining. "You're going to be the one to help her forget about Brian Rezza."
Alek's back stiffened. He wasn't that obvious, was he? "What do you mean by that?"
"Look, like it or not, you're just about the only one she really listens to." Amy sighed, leaning against the lockers beside Alek's. "If anyone could somehow convince her there's someone better or at least that Brian's just no good for her, it'd be you."
"Sorry, Amy, but I'm not quite seeing your logic." He started walking away from his friend but she just caught up with him.
"Okay, fine, do you want me to say it?" Amy practically shrieked and before he could reply, she continued. "You like her. I know you do. So why not make a move and get her to see Brian isn't the only guy on earth?"
Alek stopped walking and stared at Amy blankly for a few seconds. She stood, waiting. So he was that obvious.
"You can't tell her." He said first, wanting to hit himself not a seconds after.
"Alek," she said seriously. "I've known that you liked her since before you have. If I wanted her to find out from me, it would have happened already."
Alek surveyed Amy for a second. For a loud and unique girl, she had never given Alek a reason not to trust her. She was one of his best friends, after all.
"Amy, I - " He hesitated before stepping a bit closer to Amy. "I really don't think it's a good idea. I know myself enough to realize that even talking about Brian won't be good. For anyone. I'm sorry, I just can't do it."
Amy's face fell a bit, but Alek walked away before she could try to change his mind.
Alek shared one period with Chloe and that was lunch. Usually, he sat with her, Jasmine, Amy, and Paul. Today he couldn't bring himself to, though. He walked over to where most of his teammates were seated and grabbed an empty one, throwing a grin at a few of the guys who called him out.
"Been a while, Al." One of the relatively normal guys, Adam, gave him a smile back. So they dived into a conversation of pointless things like sports and titled of the high school world and for a small period of time, Alek felt okay again.
At the end of the day, Alek was back again at his locker when someone tapped his shoulder in a very familiar manner. So familiar, Alek spoke without turning around. "Amy, I told you, it's not going to happen."
There was a small second of silence before a reply came. "Then you should let her know?" Another voice said, a small laugh revealing afterwards. Alek glanced quickly behind him and saw Chloe, a curious smile gracing her lips. Her hair was pulled back and he wished he could stop staring at those eyes.
"Sorry, Amy's pestering me about something." He tried for a smile but it felt forced. Painfully forced.
"Sounds like her," Chloe said, leaning exactly where Amy had been earlier. "So, what are you doing later today? I figured we could grab dinner or something if you want."
Alek narrowed his eyes, closing his locker as he did. "You and Brian aren't hanging out?"
"No, why would we be?" She questioned, shaking her head slightly.
"Just thought you might be." Now's your chance. Just say something about it. He took a deep breath. "You know, I've been thinking a bit about you and Brian. Hope that doesn't sound as creepy as I feel it may." He joked but Chloe didn't laugh.
"What about us?" She crossed her arms over chest, already going into defensive mode. He swallowed.
"I just don't really think you should keep running back to him the way you do. I think you deserve a lot better than that." He said simply. Chloe looked unaffected, like he hadn't said anything at all. So he waited.
"That's what Amy was pestering you about, wasn't it?" Chloe sounded surprisingly upset, like there was something he wasn't catching.
"Not important," he brushed the assumption off. "I'm serious, Chloe. Brian. . .he doesn't treat you right. You can do a lot better."
"And who exactly is going to treat me better?" Chloe asked, pausing for effect. "You?"
Alek's eyes widened and he nearly choked on nothing before he could respond. "Of course not, where'd you get that idea? All I'm saying is - "
"I get what you're saying, but you know what?" Chloe scoffed. "I don't really care what you think I do or don't deserve. Even though we have our problems, he's there for me. He makes me feel important, feel loved. It's more than I can say for just about anyone else around me." With that, Chloe spun on her heels and practically ran down the hall.
Alek felt his stomach fall, his heart pound harshly. What just happened?